Anonymous threats don’t help anybody’s cause

Somebody posted a Facebook page called, “Wisconsin for Safe Mining,” but what they were saying wasn’t safe and wasn’t smart. Whoever it was, they threatened a few anti-mine activists.

A man named Terry Dipper listed them on the Wisconsin Reporter’s Facebook page, citing their opposition as a reason armed guards are needed at the Gogebic Taconite site.

In response to Dipper’s post, Wisconsinites For Safe Mining wrote: “We have initiated a shoot on site order for the malcontents you have listed. Trespassing on a mining site = genocide.”

“If you threaten to kill someone, that is a crime – that is malicious. Its horrible. Its scary,” said Wells.

She and at least two of the other women, Roberta Retram and Barbara With, are now asking their local law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter criminally.

27 News exchanged Facebook messages with someone from Wisconsinites For Safe Mining on Monday about the comment, who insisted it was obvious satire. They even sent a link to a Wikipedia entry explaining what satire is.

But Wells and the other women aren’t laughing.

“Its not a joke when you’re threatening someone’s life and you’re putting a target on their head,” said Wells.

Wells says the Dane County Sheriff’s Office told her they will assign an investigator to look into the matter, but 27 News has not been able to confirm that yet.

The person from Wisconsinites For Safe Mining who exchanged messages with 27 News today, refused to identify themselves.

The page was up earlier today but it’s gone now. We have no idea who the posters were or the motive for the threats. Were they trying to make mining supporters look bad? Or was it a joke in really poor taste? Until the police investigate and the author of the threats is known, we won’t know the real motive for the threats.

Before the page was pulled, the author or authors were claiming what they wrote was satire. We’re not laughing.

I chatted up the terrorist from Wisconsinites for Safe Mining this morning. Turns out he is just threatening the lives of environmentalists for money. I used some packet capture software to see where it was coming from. It looks like he is in Ireland. The EU allows users to anonymously utilize social media but probably not to engage in international terrorist threats for money. Here is a text of the chat:
Conversation started today

11:47am
Christopher Kirkwood
I thought you would like this .

11:53am
Christopher Kirkwood
So are you joking or are you a terrorist?

11:59am
Wisconsinites for Safe Mining
Neither, I am getting paid.

12:00pm
Christopher Kirkwood
By who?

12:01pm
Wisconsinites for Safe Mining
Why on earth would I give you that information?

12:04pm
Christopher Kirkwood
Why not? There are no secrets in the net.

12:06pm
Wisconsinites for Safe Mining
You guys come up with enough money, I’ll run a page for you as well.

12:08pm
Christopher Kirkwood
I am personally not into extortion or terroristic threats. Catch you later.

12:10pm
Wisconsinites for Safe Mining
Actually, a bunch of your clan members are. But we can make the page however you want it.

12:11pm
Christopher Kirkwood
Clan sounds more like your buddies.

12:11pm
Wisconsinites for Safe Mining
I think that you mean Klan

12:12pm
Christopher Kirkwood
You know more about those things then me.